BaretaNews | 21 September 2026
Dabney Yerima has condemned the reported killing of three civilians in Ekona, Fako County, and called for an independent investigation, protection of eyewitnesses and accountability for anyone shown by credible evidence to have been responsible.
In a two-page statement dated 21 September 2026, issued under the Office of the Vice President of the Southern Cameroons/Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Yerima appealed to the United Nations, African Union, human-rights organisations and diplomatic missions to pay attention to violence against civilians.
“Justice cannot be reserved for one side. Justice must belong to the victims.”
Statement cites allegations from Ekona witnesses
According to eyewitness accounts cited in the statement, armed men allegedly entered the community, fired shots into the air and forced their way into homes, where three civilians were reportedly killed.
The statement says local witnesses alleged the involvement of John Eko Ewume, popularly known as “Moja Moja,” whom those witnesses identify as a BIR soldier. Yerima called for an independent, credible and transparent investigation to establish what happened and identify those responsible.
BaretaNews has not independently verified the witness accounts cited in the statement or established responsibility for the reported deaths. The material supplied for this report contains no response from Ewume or the military authorities. The allegations should not be treated as a finding of guilt.
Yerima also referred to reports alleging that a community electricity transformer had previously been shot and destroyed, leaving residents without power, before armed men returned several days later. That account likewise remains an allegation cited in his statement.
Condemnation regardless of affiliation
Yerima said civilian killings were unacceptable whether carried out by soldiers, armed groups or individuals acting independently. He rejected the use of uniforms, political loyalties, ethnicity or the disorder of war as a shield against accountability.
He also raised concerns about allegations that abuses by people connected to state security structures might subsequently be attributed to Ambazonia Forces. His statement explicitly cautioned that such claims could neither be dismissed outright nor accepted without evidence.
The demand for accountability, he argued, should extend beyond those who directly carried out killings to anyone who ordered, facilitated or deliberately concealed them, where credible evidence establishes responsibility.
Six demands for international action
The statement called on international actors to press for:
- An independent and impartial investigation into the reported Ekona killings and other killings in Ambazonia.
- Preservation of evidence and protection of eyewitnesses.
- Identification of all those responsible.
- Prosecution where credible evidence establishes criminal responsibility.
- Investigation of any chain of command or institutional structures that may have enabled abuses.
- Effective measures to protect civilians from further attacks.
“The international community must not wait until another community is buried before it acts.”
Condolences to families—and a rejection of vengeance
Yerima extended condolences to the bereaved families and the Ekona community, saying the victims’ names and lives must not disappear into casualty statistics.
He urged all parties to respect civilian life and international humanitarian law, and called for a future in which families would no longer have to flee their homes or live in fear of armed violence.
“And we demand truth, justice, and accountability—not vengeance.”
The statement does not name the three reported victims or specify the date of the alleged attack. Its central demand is for a process that establishes the facts, protects witnesses and places the victims at the centre of any response.
Source: Two-page press statement, “On the Killing of Three Civilians in Ekona, Fako County,” dated 21 September 2026 and signed by Dabney Yerima, supplied to BaretaNews. Featured image: Dabney Yerima, BaretaNews archive.
